Preface: This list does not include app plays, or from websites such as Board game arena or Yucata. Plays on those platforms get tracked by their own platforms and I’m a firm believer of not double recording a play. Also, while none of these plays are astronomically high, for a player like me who gets so much enjoyment form discovering new games over replaying known quantities, playing a game more than 10 times is a massive achievement in my stats.
Magic Maze – 29 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Magic Maze it’s a real time coop that you can lose quickly if you’re not careful. I’ve counted every mission I played in Magic Maze as it’s own individual play. the first few missions slowly introduce the mechanics, while the last dozen make the game harder. Like many coop games it restricts communication and half of the fun comes from staring at your partner who will not receive your telepathic demands to move that one pawn to the left!
Magic Maze also has a very interesting and unique mechanic where each player isn’t controlling a specific character, rather they are in control of a specific move. Every piece that wants to move left? That’s my job. You get to focus on moving people to right. And if you make a mistake and move too far, you have to hope I know what you were trying to do and correct it for you.
Why I don’t own it
I’ve played this game over 3 sessions at the local board game cafe. Those 3 sessions were with entirely different groups (my wife and I being the two consistent parties at each of the sessions) and although each session was fun and everyone walked away from the game with smiles, by the time the third session finished my wife and I agreed that we felt the game had been explored and would not hit the table in our home compared to the rest of the games we already owned. I’ve read the expansion adds significantly to the experience, but it’s not a game that I feel compelled to own.
Karuba – 27 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
The coronavirus pandemic forced my game herd to migrate online for a year. One of the games we found on Tabletop Simulator that had a fantastic implementation was Karuba. This highly scripted version takes care of randomizing the setup, and drawing the same tile out for every player. Once tiles are placed, it automatically locks it in place, moves any gems onto the board (or off if your meeple landed on it), and pulls the next tile. We can knock a game of Karuba out in less than 10 minutes, which is impressive considering most games on Tabletop Simulator take longer to play than their IRL counterparts, even without the setup and tear down times.
Like most games on the platform, it won’t enforce the rules for you, if someone cheats and leaps around the board, it’s up to you to be aware of it and to immediately find better friends.
Why I don’t own it
This is a rare instance where I would rather play a game on TTS than on the table. I wouldn’t turn down a play of this if someone brought it out, but I do not feel the need to have a box sitting on my shelf when I know a fully functional version exists just a couple of clicks away.
Istanbul – 16 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Because it’s great! Really, a race to collect gems with decisions on building up a engine or to pick the low hanging fruit before your opponents get to them first. An incredibly variable play space, easy turn structure, and a fair amount of mastery if you want to plan out your turns a dozen moves ahead. Enough randomness that could swing the game if someone was feeling bold enough to bet high and roll successfully. The expansions each add a pair of mechanics that can swing an entire game (I once won a game by running my coffee engine only), and some more variability to the board, giving this game even more replayability
Why I don’t own it
In what I suspect will be perceived as a personal slight against Rüdiger Dorn, considering I have 3 of his games in a row on this list, the only reason I don’t own Istanbul myself is because someone in my friend herd already owns it, plus an expansion. If I’m ever thirsting for a game of this I can either borrow the game from him, or fire up the Android app and get half a dozen plays in over the course of an hour. This is probably the second game on my to-buy list if suddenly the game was no longer easily available to me.
Scythe – 15 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Rise of Fenris campaign contributed a lot to this play count, but even without the campaign compelling us to play, I very much enjoy Scythe. It’s a cold war game where the threat of combat is more tense than the actual combat. I have had some fantastic plays where my engine grows and hums and I conquer the peasants of Europa, while other games I’ve made blunders and had my opponents promptly capitalize on my mistake (over-committing to a combat, losing by 1 point, having the other 3 players all on their next turns combat my now battered army). I love the mechanic of moving things off the board to make some actions stronger and other actions cheaper, and the player who ends the game is not always the player who wins the war.
Why I don’t own it
A friend in my herd has the collectors editions, upgraded resources, expanded event cards, 2 expansions (Invaders from Afar and Rise of Fenris) and has it in his top 10 games of all time. If I’m going to be playing this game, I’ll be playing it with him.
Las Vegas – 14 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Las Vegas plays fairly quickly and is very easy to set up and teach. Being a very luck based dice area control game, having a serious attitude is a detriment here. Usually, I pick one person and decide to do everything I can to squeeze them out of Vegas. I often play with a variant/house rule where each player is given 2 neutral die that get rolled with all of their normal dice and must be placed with the same restrictions. Using those extra die to manipulate the market is a joy, and when you and your opponent have both committed 5 die to a single spot and you’re down to your last die and you manage to roll the exact number you need, the whole table erupts with laughter. Except for the other guy, but screw that guy, he lost and we don’t care about losers.
Pro Tip, don’t add extra sets of die and play with 8 players. At that player count the time in between turns is unbearably long, and every casino gets 8+ die on it meaning almost everything ends in a tie.
Why I don’t own it
It seems to play best with larger groups (4 or 5) and I rarely have that many people over to my table. Someone in my herd already owns it (and has more friends than I do) and I know it won’t hit my table as a 2 player game over the games I already own.
Can’t Stop – 13 Plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Aside from being my wife’s #1 favourite game of all time, I keep finding this game everywhere. At various events where people bring games, this one always seems to be available. Each time I see it around I usually rope in the nearest two people and break it out. I’ve played this in board game cafe’s across the country (BC, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia), 2 different weddings, and at least 2 picnics. It’s easy and fun to play, and the push your luck element has my hair standing on end every time I roll the die.
Why I don’t own it
It’s way too expensive for what it is. A plastic board, a few cones (11 in each colour, plus 3 white ones), and 4 die. at my FLGS it was around $50, while online I can see it as low as $40. If I ever see this game available used for $15, I’ll be sure to snag it. It’s also the game Board Game Arena uses to teach you the platform. With it being available there and a premium membership allowing for games to be played from the same IP address, I’m not compelled to hand over my cash for this one.
Azul – 11 Plays
Why I’ve played it so much
A very attractive game that is easy to teach and offers interesting decisions. This game usually ends up capping off a game night, or it’s another tool I use to lure people into the hobby when they’re foolish enough to accept my invitation to the local board game cafe.
Why I don’t own it
As far as abstract puzzle games are concerned, I prefer Sagrada. While not directly comparable, both end up scratching the same itch for me, and I just like rolling colorful die more than pulling Starburst from a bag.
Splendor – 11 Plays
Why I’ve played it so much
in 2018 I was mildly obessed with this game. I loved the puzzle of building a ‘engine’ of resources and figuring out the perfect moment to shift my gameplay from collecting cards for the purpose of having more gems, and using the cards I have to finish off the recipes for the nobles. I played the Android app a bunch as well, using it to finely tune how I approached the pivot of the game and how to leap for the endgame victory points.
Why I don’t own it
Honestly, I don’t know about this one. I last played in in June of 2019 and haven’t had the urge to seek it out. I know I still like this game, but I don’t have the desire to acquire a copy and coerce my wife into playing it with me. Which is double odd because I know she likes this game too! Perhaps something replaced it for me, but I’m not sure what it is.
Concordia – 10 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Like Istanbul, this game is so good and so replayable it’s almost funny. with dozens of action cards with end game points coming out in different orders, the resources each city provides shuffling around, and the various way to accrue points, I love to explore this game. And this is even without the additional maps, or Concordia Salsa (which is an expansion I love) which add even more twists to the formula. The end game scoring is sufficiently obfuscated so while you may feel like you know who is going to win the game, it’s not a sure thing and I’ve seen more than a few upset victories when one player sneakily captured all the cards of a single type and exploited it for all they could.
Why I don’t own it
This is my favourite game that I don’t own and would be the first one I purchase if the person in my herd who already owns it suddenly left. Its a little more complex than the games my wife tends to enjoy so I know I wouldn’t suggest it for our 2 player game nights, but it is a game that I love to play, and with my recent foray into Solo gaming, I would like to try the solo play deck that is coming out soon.
Quadropolis – 9 plays
Why I’ve played it so much
Quadropolis is a cute, well made city building game, with 2 modes to play. I’ve mostly played this one at the request of others, but each time it hits the table I find myself enjoying it more than I remember. One mode of the game gives each player a worker of their own number, leaving it entirely up to them to not let themselves get painted into a corner where the one tile they want is out of their reach, while the other mode of play pools all the workers together. I’ve been that guy before to just use all of the #1 workers, just to sow discord and panic amongst my ‘friends’
Why I don’t own it
I don’t love it enough to request playing it, which means it won’t be a game I pull off my shelf often enough to justify the price. This is on top of the fact that another player in my group does own it and does request playing it. No need to double up on our collections!
